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A review by panda_incognito
The Art of Captain America: The Winter Soldier by Marie Javins
5.0
This book provides fascinating insight into one of my all-time favorite movies, and I especially appreciated the section about how the artists and filmmakers developed the poignant scene where Cap visits a Smithsonian museum exhibit about his life. When I watched the movie again last night, I was struck by how perfect that element is. It further develops Cap's character as a man out of time, weaves in backstory in a seamless, engaging way, and intensifies the movies themes. I enjoyed getting to read details about that scene's creation, and I love that the artist tasked with painting the museum's mural considers it one of his greatest career accomplishments. It's really phenomenal.
I would recommend this book to any Captain America or Marvel fan who is interested in character designs, concept art, storyboards, and insights from the team behind the movie. The text is fairly sparse, but always adds something significant to what you're looking at. For example, the sections about action scenes include the creators' reflections on how they designed the action with the characters in mind, considering how they would react under particular conditions. The choreographers don't just do whatever looks cool, but are deeply invested in every element of the story world.
It's obvious how much effort, love, and craftsmanship went into every aspect of creating this movie, and all of the different visual and choreographed elements fit seamlessly within the story, to the point where you can experience their impact without ever stopping to think about them. Also, I was amazed to realize how much in this movie was CGI, considering how well they grounded core shots and essential elements in the real world. I really enjoyed the different insights about how they kept everything real enough to give them the freedom to create fabulous elements digitally without making anything seem artificial.
I also enjoyed quotes about the storytelling itself, and about how this movie is a hybrid between a superhero story and a '70s political thriller. I can definitely see that, and it's part of why this movie is fun to watch again and again. I'm not a Marvel fan overall, but this movie is one of favorites of all time, and I love the blend between different genres, and all of the clever twists, deep themes, and thoughtful questions about human nature, technology, government, corrupt institutions, and what it looks like to find your path in life when you don't belong with the society around you.
Also, related to the '70s political thriller vibe, the book notes how great it was to have Robert Redford appear in a pivotal role. Although I wasn't familiar with his oeuvre and it didn't mean anything to me, the Marvel team loved how moviegoers would buy into what Alexander Pierce said not just because he was a convincing character, but also because he was Robert Redford. Fabulous.
I really enjoyed this book, and it deepened my love for the movie, if that was even possible. I'm glad that I was able to get this through inter-library loan, and would love to own a copy if I can ever find it for a reasonable price. Even though it's out-of-print, I would definitely recommend this to anyone else who shares my appreciation for this movie. This isn't a promotional puff piece, or even just a collection of concept art. This is full of succinct, memorable reflections on the design and storytelling process, and even though I have already thought about this movie in tremendous depth, there were still brand new insights and revelations here.
I would recommend this book to any Captain America or Marvel fan who is interested in character designs, concept art, storyboards, and insights from the team behind the movie. The text is fairly sparse, but always adds something significant to what you're looking at. For example, the sections about action scenes include the creators' reflections on how they designed the action with the characters in mind, considering how they would react under particular conditions. The choreographers don't just do whatever looks cool, but are deeply invested in every element of the story world.
It's obvious how much effort, love, and craftsmanship went into every aspect of creating this movie, and all of the different visual and choreographed elements fit seamlessly within the story, to the point where you can experience their impact without ever stopping to think about them. Also, I was amazed to realize how much in this movie was CGI, considering how well they grounded core shots and essential elements in the real world. I really enjoyed the different insights about how they kept everything real enough to give them the freedom to create fabulous elements digitally without making anything seem artificial.
I also enjoyed quotes about the storytelling itself, and about how this movie is a hybrid between a superhero story and a '70s political thriller. I can definitely see that, and it's part of why this movie is fun to watch again and again. I'm not a Marvel fan overall, but this movie is one of favorites of all time, and I love the blend between different genres, and all of the clever twists, deep themes, and thoughtful questions about human nature, technology, government, corrupt institutions, and what it looks like to find your path in life when you don't belong with the society around you.
Also, related to the '70s political thriller vibe, the book notes how great it was to have Robert Redford appear in a pivotal role. Although I wasn't familiar with his oeuvre and it didn't mean anything to me, the Marvel team loved how moviegoers would buy into what Alexander Pierce said not just because he was a convincing character, but also because he was Robert Redford. Fabulous.
I really enjoyed this book, and it deepened my love for the movie, if that was even possible. I'm glad that I was able to get this through inter-library loan, and would love to own a copy if I can ever find it for a reasonable price. Even though it's out-of-print, I would definitely recommend this to anyone else who shares my appreciation for this movie. This isn't a promotional puff piece, or even just a collection of concept art. This is full of succinct, memorable reflections on the design and storytelling process, and even though I have already thought about this movie in tremendous depth, there were still brand new insights and revelations here.